Living Our Yoga
How Do We Practice When We’re OFF the Mat???
I have found Journey Into Power, by Baron Baptiste, to be one of the best sources to answer this question. I think many of us have been guilty of forgetting to “practice” in less than desirable situations. What to do when faced with conflict, grief, frustration, confusion, anger, neglect,….the list goes on and on! Your real “practice” begins the moment you step off your yoga mat. While on the mat, we struggle to find our center, balance with ease, continue to breathe and simply remain present. Why does that change when we’re not on that 3’x8’ sacred spot. It doesn’t change. Our attitude does. And perhaps even our ability to focus does as well when life comes charging at us. In class, it’s as if life stops for that hour and a half, allowing room for us to just be…be clear, attentive and most of all, available. Then we step off the mat and we’re off! So, how do you protect that state of equanimity found on your mat? Baron shares his brilliant list of how he recommends for us to “maintain a meditative mind-set in the middle of conflict” or as I like to say, in the middle of life. I have found this list to be so helpful to my life and hopefully it will be helpful to yours too!! Have fun “practicing!”
- Live the principles you employ on your yoga mat.
- Practice daily to strengthen your inner light.
- See conflict without resenting it or wanting to change it.
- Look at the conflict in front of you straight in the eye. Don’t be a doormat! Stand firm without becoming reactive.
- Know that it doesn’t matter if people love you in that moment; you love them. It doesn’t matter if people understand you; you understand them. And if they do not forgive you, you forgive them.
- Be patient under trial. As long as you are not judgmental or resentful, you will be able to disagree without being disagreeable.
- If you have something to say, say it. Don’t be upset or react; just say it.
- If you have something to do, do it. Don’t be upset or react; just do it with presence.
- Don’t be overly excited by praise or offended by criticism. And don’t be too quick to give praise or criticism.
- Don’t take things personally. Remember, it’s usually not about you.
- Always follow your intuition.
- Practice doubting your doubts when they arise.
- Do not fall into the trap of competition and comparison.
- Stay in your body in moments of adversity.
- Let go and have faith in the power of the universe. It is always there for you, all you ever need to do is let go and let it in!
Need I say more???
Thanks Baron!!!
August 24, 2008
Three weeks ago my reality and the reality of my family changed completely in one short weekend….all the financial security that we had grown accustomed to; the schedule that we had lived hour by hour, day by day, year by year; and the sweet company and love a family cat gave us for fourteen wonderful years were all gone….just like that – GONE! There we were in the midst of a complete life change with the world spinning around us. Here it was…the opportunity for me to trust what I’ve always believed in and to practice firsthand what I teach in all my classes.
Everything changes!!! It’s our attachment to the way things are that creates the suffering we feel when things change. We are even attached, at times, to things and situations that are not beneficial to us, and resist when even these things change. I know, it’s hard to believe, or at the very least, hard to admit. My immediate response to all these changes in my life was resistance…then along came the fear, sadness, frustration, anger. But, beneath all these emotions was one more emotion – excitement. I was amazed that underneath all I was feeling was a glimmer of real excitement for whatever was about to happen to me and my family. There it was the seed of Yoga!! Everything was going to be okay. Wait, according to what I believe and teach everything is okay, it’s just changing.
Through the practice of Yoga, we are given the tools we need to accept and cope with all the surprises life offers. Part of that practice is the willingness to deal with the pain rather than just resist or suppress it. I have reveled at my husband, Mark, and his ability to do just that during this challenging time in his life. At a time when many would have withdrawn and even wallowed in self pity after being laid off, Mark has opened up more than I’ve ever witnessed and truly embraced all the change by doing things he’s never had the time to do before due to the confines of his previous reality. He not only attends Yoga classes regularly, but he is also truly “living his Yoga!” It’s as if he has been set free…his body moves and bends in class in ways that I never knew it could…all because he is allowing the movement to happen, both in his body and in his life.
Now don’t think for a moment that there hasn’t been a lot of grief with this new reality, because there has. We are all allowing ourselves and each other to feel that grief (which in some cases has manifested in very surprising ways!!) and offering support to each other which actually gives strength to both parties – the giver and the receiver! It’s that support that really helps. Shauna said in her class one Saturday morning, “When you inhale the universe is exhaling….when you exhale, the universe if inhaling.” That is exactly what I needed to hear. That very sentence has helped to sustain me and inspire me during this time. And the support of feeling that bolster under my shoulder blades or the blankets supporting me in Salamba Sarvangasana…while breathing and acknowledging all the change is always occurring whether I choose to acknowledge it or not. In many ways, I feel freer than I have ever felt before in the midst of all this chaos because I AM!! I just AM and change is always present, it’s just that this time it’s more obvious to me and I choose to release my grip on life a little and be led. My husband is my inspiration as he flows with grace through each day, acting and not reacting; accepting and not resisting; and allowing without forcing. He embodies all the lessons I teach and for him I give thanks and I continue to gain inspiration for every class I teach!
leighann@brightwateryoga.com